James Thevathasan Rutnam (1905-1988) was a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...

educationalist Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Vari ...

, writer, and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. Born in Jaffna, he was educated at the

Manipay Hindu College Manipay Hindu College ( ta, மானிப்பாய் இந்து கல்லூரி ''Māṉippāy Intu Kallūri'', si, මනිපායි හින්දු විද්‍යාලය ''Manipayi Hindu Vidyalaya'') is a provincia ...

St. Joseph's College, Colombo , motto_translation = In Knowledge and Virtue , location = T. B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 , country = Sri Lanka , coordinates = , caption = School Facade , pushpin_m ...

and

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

, before entering the

Ceylon University College Ceylon University College was a public university college in Ceylon. Established in 1921, it was Ceylon's first attempt at university education. The college didn't award degrees under its own name but prepared students to sit the University of Lo ...

and thereafter the

Ceylon Law College Sri Lanka Law College (abbreviated as SLLC), formerly known as Ceylon Law College, is a law college, and the only legal institution where one can enroll as a attorney-at-law in Sri Lanka. It was established in 1874, under the then Council of Legal ...

for the

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

s course where he was the editor of the Law Students Magazine and won the Walter Pereira Prize.

J. R. Jayewardene Junius Richard Jayewardene ( si, ජුනියස් රිචඩ් ජයවර්ධන, ta, ஜூனியஸ் ரிச்சட் ஜயவர்தனா; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly abbreviated in Sri Lanka as ...

was his contemporary. Leaving without completing his legal qualification, Rutnam became a teacher at Uva College, Badulla and

Wesley College, Colombo Wesley College, Colombo, popularly known as "Wesley" or "The Double Blues" is a school providing primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka since 1874. Wesley College is a Methodist educational institution. History In 1858, Rev. Joseph Ri ...

and was the Principal of

St. Xavier's College, Nuwara Eliya St Xavier's College, Nuwara Eliya is a boys' public national school in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. See also * List of schools in Central Province, Sri Lanka * List of Jesuit sites This list includes past and present buildings, facil ...

. Rutnam was associated with

S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike ( si, සොලොමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බණ්ඩාරනායක; ta, சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிட்ஜ்வே டயஸ் ப� ...

during his early days having joined Progressive Nationalist Party and the

Ceylon National Congress The Ceylon National Congress ( Sinhala: ලංකා ජාතික කොන්ග්‍රසය ''Lanka Jathika Kongrasaya'') (CNC) was a Nationalist political party which was formed in Ceylon on 11 December 1919. It was founded after national ...

. He unsuccessfully contested for the

State Council of Ceylon The State Council of Ceylon was the unicameral legislature for Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), established in 1931 by the Donoughmore Constitution. The State Council gave universal adult franchise to the people of the colony for the first time. It r ...

from Nuwara Eliya and was defeated by E. W. Abeygunasekera in

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

, and

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

and by M. D. Banda in the by-election that followed Abeygunasekera resignation in 1943. Rutnam unseated Banda in an election petition. He contested the 1947 general elections and the 1952 general elections from

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrativ ...

without success. He is the founder of the Evelyn Rutnam Institute for Inter-Cultural Studies.

References

External links

James T. Rutnam - a versatile servant

*

The Leading Characters in the Political Turmoil of Sinhalese-Muslim Riots of 1915 by Sachi Sri Kantha

Rajah Rutnam — Sri Lanka’s first immigrant to US

* ttp://sundaytimes.lk/030119/columns/cv.html When Sinhalese supported and Tamils opposed federalism
A Century of Tamil Poetry in Sri Lanka

In Memory of James Rutnam

Meeting Thiru Arumugam in Toronto

by Silan Kadirgamar
"The House of Nilaperumal"
by James T.Rutnam Sri Lankan Christians Sri Lankan Tamil civil servants Sri Lankan Tamil politicians 1905 births 1988 deaths 20th-century Sri Lankan historians Sri Lankan Tamil historians {{SriLanka-bio-stub